I am 5’2, and as of right now I weigh 140. I feel the only reason I can maintain this weight is because I skip my insulin shots every now and then, or I don’t bolus for what I eat. This is so bad! I am on the pump right now (with saline) and I get put on insulin tomorrow at 4:30 PM woo-hoo! I need to try and stop eating as much as I do. How can I lose weight on the pump. I don’t want to gain, I’d be fine staying at 140, but my goal weight is truly 126 pounds, I would love to be able to lose weight while on the pump (medtronic paradigm 722). Can you suggest anything for me to be able to control my food intake, I have no energy so I can’t exercise. What should I be eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner that wont effect my blood sugar. I am most likely always high around 250 or higher and its so hard to get my blood sugar down, and I don’t want to take so much insulin. I’m on probably 50+ units a day, how can I get that down? I see people on here on the pump who only take about 10u a day and I would love to be on a low dose of insulin like that. I feel like if my weight is down, my numbers will be down, my insulin requirements will be down and my energy levels will be up, Where do I even begin? Please someone help! P.S. I love tudiabetes!
Dave’s right. High BG sucks out the energy out. Before the thirst & headache hit, the first sign I notice is feeling really tired.
Eating lower carb meals you’ll need less insulin. Yep, less carbs, less insulin, weight loss. Having enough protein will keep you from being hungry. It’s those carbs that make us feel starved. Trying to stay as much as possible on a regular meal schedule helps & don’t skip meals. Life doesn’t usually allow this, so do the best you can.
Don’t know what you like to eat, but here’s what my meals look like. Lots of sites with recipes/suggestions for low carb.
Breakfast–usually eggs with cheese, or just cheese with some walnuts or almonds if I’m rushed. I have bad dawn phenonmenon so have to eat practically no carbs for breakfast or I’m messed up for the whole day. Weekends when I have more time, I make pancakes with almond meal (really low carb) & sugar free syrup, or I make a bunch of almond meal muffins with walnuts or pecans.
Lunch–salad with protein (turkey, chicken, tuna), or peanut butter on low carb crackers (homemade), cheeseburger with no bun, soup with low carb crackers & cheese, avocado with cream cheese, scallions & cucumbers, roll-ups of different meats & cheeses using lettuce leaves. I also have protein shakes for lunch using unflavored whey isolate powder, unsweetened almond milk, unsweetened cocoa powder (or a shot of decaf espresso) & sweetener. Very filling & yummy. You can make them any flavor you like.
Dinner–basically protein & low carb veggies. Veggie quiche (no crust), grated veggie pancakes, stews, spinach pie, different veggie & meat caseroles, salads with grilled shrimp or fish. I use a lot of extracts in cooking to add flavor with no carbs.
To make breading for things like chicken or fish, dip in a beaten egg & roll in almond meal & then unsweetened shredded coconut, fry or bake. It’s great.
Have fun with your pump!
There are a ton of things to juggle with diabetes, that is for sure! Begin with one thing at a time (cause there is quite a learning curve with the pump, which is a great diabetes management tool).
Getting blood glucose in control–no matter HOW much insulin you have to take at first–is the most important thing for feeling good and living long. Once you’ve figured out the pump and see steadier blood sugars (more or less–none of us get it perfect), you’ll feel better and have more ability to concentrate on weight maintenance or weight loss.
You’ll also have more brain room available to figure out if you simply lack understanding about nutrition, have an undisciplined attitude toward food, and/or exhibit symptoms of an eating disorder (which is not uncommon in people with diabetes).
Just a caution: if you give your body the insulin it needs to start lowering those 250s, you are likely to see some weight gain (not a ton, maybe 5-7 pounds) because instead of peeing out the excess glucose, your body will be able to process it and likely will store it as fat. But that small weight gain is not bad if it is part of the road to better glucose numbers.
Insulin is a hormone that helps our bodies use glucose but it doesn’t manufacture fat on its own. Insulin plus too many calories can cause weight gain (although daily exercise can go a long way toward allowing you to eat well, control blood sugars, and maintain/lose weight).
A person who makes none of her own insulin needs to inject or pump enough for background insulin and to cover food. An average human adult (if there is such a thing) makes about 1 unit of insulin per hour for background insulin (the equivalent on a pump is the basal dose). The amount a “normal” person uses for food depends on what she eats, body size, exercise, yada yada. It’s not about how much insulin you want to take, but rather how much your body needs. Weight and food choices certainly do affect how much insulin is needed, but a type 1 needs some insulin no matter what. Needing more insulin does not make anyone a bad person. And for a type 1, in-control blood sugars are way more important in helping avoid complications than being a few pounds overweight.
Have you shared your concerns about weight gain and blood sugar control w/ your health care provider? If not, please consider doing so. That’s info a smart/aware provider will use to help you access a dietitian or other professionals who can help you manage blood glucose levels; plan meals that are good for you, satisfying, and nutritious; and advise on weight, energy, etc.
You know you’ll get the straight story here at tudiabetes. All the above is NOT easy. And the process is fluid (your body and insulin needs change). But it is possible to develop skills and strategies and plan goals to get where you want to be. It’s just easier to attempt one thing at a time.
Best wishes!
Add protein to feel full and have a decreased desire to snack.
My breakfast includes a couple Morningstar links or Boca links. Lunch includes some ham or cheese. Supper includes some type of protein, chicken, etc. When I make pancakes it’s with almond meal/almond flour or protein whey. Protein stopped my snacking. Good luck!
Hi Kristen,
Skipping insulin IS NOT the answer. Wishing your TDD could be 10 units/day IS NOT the answer. You’ve got to figure out what YOUR TDD (total daily dose) requirement are. It’s complex, but get Pumping Insulin (I’ve recommended this to you before) and read the whole thing. That book will help you out more than anything else, IMHO. When I read it, it was like the clouds parted and the sun came streaming through and god himself said “Hey Mike, everything’s going to be okay.” Seriously, get that book.
Your lack of energy is very likely the result of your high BG levels. I get thick-headed and dull-witted and only want to sit on the couch when my BG is over 200. I have a regular good-old spring in the my step when my BG is in/near the normal range.
As for weight loss, there are some pretty basic formulas to help one figure out weight targets. I did a quick google search for weight calculators and found THIS website, put together by some nutritionists. They basically say that the average person (as always, your mileage may vary = YMMV) needs to consume 15 calories per pound of body weight per day. So if your target weight is 126 pounds, you’ll need to consume about 1890 calories per day. You can do that low-carb, high-carb, whatever-carb. The fewer carbs you eat in the process of getting to your caloric total, the fewer BG fluctuations you will have. A nutritionist should be able to help you develop a meal plan, and a d-educator can help you with your insulin dosing and adjustments to match your food and exercise routines.
And congrats on starting on the pump. It will make a world of difference in your diabetes care. I muddled through on shots for 10 years. My life in the last 2 years of pumping has been much better.
Cheers, Mike
First goal should definitely be to try to bring your glucose levels back into a more normal range even if it means some weight gain because once you’re in a more normal range healthier weight loss is much more achievable. Speaking from experience 
Also expect some time to adjust to feeling normal as well and don’t try to tackle everything at once.
Once your numbers are more normal you will have more energy to do things like exercise. Plus exercise has the benefit of making you more insulin sensitive which means less insulin needed. The other benefit I’ve found too is that I eat more healthy…like less cravings for junk and more for healthier balanced foods. Not sure if this is from better glucose control or more consistent exercise…or both? Also being less tired makes me crave carbs less…so less need for insulin boluses…
Good luck and keep talking to us at TuD especially if you are looking for motivation I’m still struggling to bring my A1C (as well as day to day variation in numbers) to where I want, but I would never have made it this far w/o the inspiration and support found here
I had forgotten about this but you might want to look into symlin. It’s supposed to smooth out post-meal blood sugars, but can also suppress appetite.
Hi Kristen -
Read Gerri’s post very carefully - I would second and third her points. I would also offer this wonderful resource - http://www.phlaunt.com/diabetes/
And…I would say that after you get going on the pump - definitely look in to Symlin. It’s a great appetite suppressant, but more importantly for me, it allowed me to reduce my insulin (by half!) and therefore lose weight.